Intruder Review (1989)
My History With the Film:
I first heard about Intruder sometime in 2018 on reddit. It was mentioned as the slasher that Sam Raimi had something to do with and that immediately put it on my radar. I didn’t do any research because I didn’t want to spoil the plot, but I knew Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi also had something to do with the production.
I finally sat down to watch Intruder in the summer of 2020 and I found it to be a truly enjoyable slasher film.
What The Film Is About (Non-Spoiler):
The night crew of a grocery store are stalked by a killer.
What I Liked About It:
-The grocery store itself! This store was a real store that was fully stocked. It’s a retro fan’s dream! Almost every scene has old packaging of cereal, magazines, soda, or something of the like in the frame. Also, by using a real store, it led credibility to the set and it felt like an actual lived in real place which heightened the tension.
-I adored Elizabeth Cox’s performance as Jennifer. She lit up the screen and made an excellent protagonist. The rest of the cast was solid, but most of the guys looked a little too similar and it was hard to keep up with who was who.
-At first the kills are pretty tame and a few even occur off screen. I assumed the entire movie would continue this way but boy was I wrong. The kills crank up and up and there is even one of the most memorable and hard to watch kills that I’ve ever seen in Intruder. I loved it!
-I thought they did a great job at revealing the killer and it wasn’t something I saw coming.
What I Didn’t Like About It:
-I mentioned the cast looking a bit too similar. This was probably realistic, but they really needed some different outfits or bigger personalities to make them most distinguishable.
Additional Notes:
-The film was shot in an actual grocery store after hours in Bell, California.
-The film’s original title was “Night Crew” but the studio felt like a generic slasher title would be better.
-The song that Randy (Sam Raimi) sings might sound familiar, that’s because it’s sung in the original Evil Dead film which Sam Raimi directed.
-Most of the home media releases spoil the identity of the killer on the cover art.
-The TV Guide seen throughout the film was the March 12th, 1988 edition.
-Elizabeth Cox (Jennifer) had parts in The Wraith and Night of the Creeps.
-The film was highly marketed around Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi, and Ted Raimi despite none of them being stars of the film.
Rating:
The grocery store setting alone makes this film worth watching. It’s like a visual time capsule and I found myself eating up the scenery. Jennifer Cox’ performance is great and the killer is strong. This is a slasher film that stands above most of the 80’s films and one that I will definitely add to my library.
I rate Intruder a solid four bloody knives and say it’s a must watch.
